As the digital landscape continues to expand, it becomes harder and harder to get potential customers truly engaging with online content. That may sound contradictory, but it’s the truth—many consumers have become so saturated with online ads, text, and images that, on some level, they tune much of it out.
How, then, can you get your audience enthralled with your brand—to visit your social media profiles, connect with your content, or offer up some well-earned likes, comments, and purchases? If your current strategy isn’t generating the interactions you’d like to see, it’s time to switch things up. Today, we’re going to examine some actionable tips that businesses can employ to boost social engagement.
1. Collaborate With Influencers
Consumers are beginning to see through those celebrity-endorsed ads for big-name companies, which has paved the way for influencers to steer purchasing direction. The numbers don’t lie: a whopping 92 percent of consumers are more likely to trust a friend or an influencer than straight celebrity approval.
When collaborating with an influencer, consider the needs of your business: are you a smaller brand that would benefit from a well-known local face? Micro-influencers could provide that engagement boost you’ve been looking for, and at a reasonable cost. On the other hand, maybe you have the money and connections to hire a macro-influencer. These individuals have a broader sphere of influence and a bigger audience.
Think about the benefits here: whether they’re large or small-scale, influencers already have a considerable following from the get-go. Maybe they’re known for their excellent photography or tech reviews. Imagine seamlessly pairing your brand with their already-captivating, already engaged-with content—it’s a match made in heaven!
Have we piqued your interest yet? Go on, send a direct message to a local influencer on Instagram. Better yet, check to see if they have a blog page and/or contact info available (hint: they probably do).
2. Experiment With the Content You Post
Another way to phrase this tip is, “create different content.” In other words, a weekly ad on your blog or social media handle may be the comfortable approach, but it’s hardly an exciting or engaging one, especially if you’re a B2B company looking to make your posts, well, a little less monotonous!
For example, you might establish a weekly poll, in which you engage fans, old and new, by asking them questions. These polls can be silly and only mildly-related to your brand, or they can be direct surveys that give your followers a chance to win prizes. Instagram stories, for example, are a great platform to make this happen.
Granted, avant-garde posts aren’t always the way to go (unless your brand thrives on controversy, of course). That being said, take calculated risks: consider investing in a WordPress plugin like SEMrush to identify content gaps and make sure your posts are reaching your intended audience. With the help of a handy plugin, you can even measure how successful your posts are in comparison to other brands, to determine which posts are effectively innovative and which may need some tweaking. From there, translate that relevant content into powerful social posts that will draw in current and new followers.
3. Switch Up Posting Times
When we talk about when to post, we’re really looking at two things: the data-driven, recommended times of day to post on social media, and whether or not you want to break free of that mold to keep your content fresh and unpredictable. Each method is valuable in its own way.
Let’s first examine the hard data approach. For example, studies have shown that it’s best to post on Instagram between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., during lunch hour and around the end of the workday (in other words, when employees begin to lose steam and start checking their phones). For sites that appeal to an older crowd, like Facebook, consider posting at the end of the day when audiences are diligently logging onto their PCs after work.
Then again, if you’re feeling experimental, consider posting outside of these constraints. For example, a Friday night Instagram livestream (that doesn’t operate in relation to a workday) may appeal to a younger crowd. Who knows, maybe you’ll hold a Twitter sweepstakes at midnight on a Saturday—and gain a large audience at what would otherwise be an unconventional time to market a product? As wacky as these approaches may be, there’s certainly something to be said for going against the grain and appealing to consumers in a way that differs from anything your competitors are doing.
Create a Winning Social Media Strategy With Snap
At Snap, we understand the importance of cutting through the noise and sales-laden chatter that crowds social media. Our organic approach to social media strategies creates content that will keep followers coming back for more. Collaborate with us today: we’ll talk influencers, plugins, data-driven strategies, and much, much more.